Monarchies in Oceania
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There are presently six monarchies in Oceania; that is: self-governing sovereign and independent states in Oceania where supreme power resides with an individual hereditary head, who is recognised as the head of state. Each is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the sovereign inherits his or her office, usually keeps it until death or abdication, and is bound by laws and customs in the exercise of their powers. Currently all six of these monarchies are independent states, and five of them equally share Queen Elizabeth II as their respective head of state[1], making them part of a global grouping known as the Commonwealth realms; in addition, all monarchies of Oceania are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Two of the monarchies in Oceania, Australia and New Zealand, have dependencies within the region and outside it.
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[edit] Current monarchies
[edit] Australia
The Australian monarchy goes back a few hundred years. More than 200 years ago Australia was found by Europeans and eventually settled by the British. Before the settlement there already existed native people as well. Eventually Australia was granted more and more powers to govern itself. In 1900 one of the last acts of Queen Victoria before she passed away on 22 January 1901 was the giving Royal Assent to the Commonwealth of Australia Act which would give Australia its own Constitution and government. On 1 January 1901 Queen Victoria would live to see the day Australia was declared federated with six states and several territories in Centennial Park, Sydney. 30 years following that the Statute of Westminster granted equality to the realms and finally on 3 March 1986 Australia Act (UK and Australia) gave full independence to Australia in theory, although in practice it was already operating mostly independently.
In 1999 Australia held a referendum on whether to become a republic or not; the referendum's outcome was the retention of the Australian monarchy and constitution. The majority of all voters and all states rejected the proposal.
The Realm of Australia also includes the following: Jervis Bay Territory (a naval base and sea port for the national capital—land that was formerly part of New South Wales); Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (inhabited external territories); and Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and the Australian Antarctic Territory (largely uninhabited).
[edit] New Zealand
New Zealand also had a native people before the arrival of European colonisers; the Māori, a Polynesian people, settled Te Ika-a-Māui or Aotearoa (now known in English as the North Island),[N 5] Te Wai Pounamu (now known in English as the South Island), and other surrounding islands between AD 800 and 1300. The Treaty of Waitangi, signed on 6 February 1840, was a agreement between Māori chiefs in the North Island and representatives of the then British Crown (now the Crown of New Zealand); roughly 500 other Māori chiefs throughout New Zealand later signed. It is today highly respected by Māori, as it is seen as a treaty which granted them certain rights. The treaty is seen as one of the founding documents of the Constitution of New Zealand and to this day is part of New Zealand law.
The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica).
[edit] Papua New Guinea
The monarchy of Papua New Guinea (the Papua New Guinean Monarchy) is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of PNG. The present monarch of Papua New Guinea is Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch is constitutionally represented by the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, whose roles and powers are laid out by the Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.
After being ruled by three external powers since 1884, Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975. It chose to become a kingdom with its own Queen and monarchy.
[edit] Solomon Islands
The Head of State of the Solomon Islands is Queen Elizabeth II. The Solomon Islands share the Sovereign with a number of Commonwealth realms. The Queen's constitutional roles have been almost entirely delegated to the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands. Royal succession is governed by the English Act of Settlement of 1701, which is part of constitutional law.
On all matters of the Solomon Island State, the Monarch is advised solely by Solomon Island ministers, not British or otherwise.
[edit] Tuvalu
The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesian people. The islands came under the UK's sphere of influence in the late 19th century. The Ellice Islands were administered by Britain as part of a protectorate from 1892 to 1916 and as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony from 1916 to 1974. In 1974 the Ellice Islanders voted for separate British dependency status as Tuvalu, separating from the Gilbert Islands which became Kiribati upon independence. Tuvalu became fully independent within The Commonwealth in 1978.
A constitutional referendum held on 30 April 2008 turned out 1,260 to 679 votes in favour of retaining the monarchy.
[edit] Tonga
The House of Tupou was officially formed in 1875 when the monarch's constitutional role was put forth.
In July 2008, three days before his coronation, King George Tupou V announced that he would relinquish most of his power and be guided by his Prime Minister's recommendations on most matters.[3]
The current monarch is George Tupou V.
[edit] Former monarchies
Kingdom of Hawaii: Abolished 1893- Template:Country data Rarotonga Kingdom of Rarotonga; abolished 1893
[edit] See also
- Monarchism
- Monarchies in the Americas
- Monarchies in Europe
- Monarchies in Africa
- Monarchies in Antarctica
- Māori King Movement (the position of Māori monarch is a non-constitutional role with no legal power in New Zealand).
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Equal primogeniture is being considered.
- ^ As Queen of the United Kingdom; since 1 October 1978 as Queen of Tuvalu.
- ^ As Queen of Australia; since 16 September 1975 as Queen of Papua New Guinea.
- ^ As Queen of the United Kingdom; since 7 July 1978 as Queen of the Solomon Islands.
- ^ The modern usage of "Aotearoa" as a reference to the whole of New Zealand, universal in the Māori language and increasingly accepted in New Zealand English, did not come about until the 20th century.
[edit] References
- ^ "List of world monarchies". http://www.hawaiiankingdom.org/constitutional-monarchies.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-11-31.
- ^ a b c d e Pierce, Andrew (24 December 2005). "Call me George, suggests Charles". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1958477,00.html. Retrieved on 2006-08-04.
- ^ "Tonga's king to cede key powers", BBC, July 29, 2008
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